Joule-second
Unit of action or angular momentum
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- 2 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Action (physics), Angular momentum and International System of Units
Base units
Expressed in SI base units the joule-second becomes kilogram-meter squared-per second or kg⋅m2⋅s−1. Dimensional Analysis of the joule-second yields M L2 T−1. Note the denominator of seconds (s) in the base units.
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Confusion with joules per second
The joule-second (J⋅s) should not be confused with joules per second (J/s) or watts (W). In physical processes, when the unit of time appears in the denominator of a ratio, the described process occurs at a rate. For example, in discussions about speed, an object like a car travels a known distance of kilometers spread over a known number of seconds, and the car's speed is measured in the unit kilometer per hour (km/h). In physics, work per time describes a system's power, with the unit watt (W), which is equal to joules per second (J/s).